Life of Guangzhou - New Museum to Chronicle Opening up

China's first museum featuring the history of the country's reform and opening up will open in Shenzhen on Dec. 18, the Daily Sunshine reported.

Located at the Citizens Center, the 186-million-yuan (US$26 million) Shenzhen Museum New Hall will also chronicle the history of the city. The decision to establish the museum was taken by the city administration in 1998 when city officials also decided to use the east wing of the Citizens Center, which has 32,000 square meters in floor space, to house the new hall. The first phase of the construction, including the bidding for decoration of the public area in the hall, has been completed.

The new hall will highlight the history of the reform and opening-up drive in China. The existing Shenzhen Museum, located at Shennan Road Central, will continue to showcase ancient art.

The four exhibition areas at the new hall will deal with ancient Shenzhen (prehistory to 1840), contemporary Shenzhen (1840-1949), Shenzhens history of reform and opening up (1978-2004) and Shenzhens folk culture (from the Qing Dynasty until the present).

The history of reform and opening-up area will be the most important part of the museum. The exhibits will be about the incubation, establishment, development and perfection of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone.

Digital technology will be used in the museum. Files will be stored in computers and visitors will be able to view them by touching computer screens. The museum has already collected 2,150 exhibits related to the reform and opening-up drive.

Among the exhibits are the Baoan Land Reform Newspaper, the first stock certificate of modern China, the hammer used at the first land auction, China's first foreign processing contract and the tree-planting tools late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping had used when planting a tree at the Fairy Lake Botanical Garden.

The city government has urged residents to contribute other related items to the museum.

[More Guangdong News]